St. Louis Public Library allows the circulation of petitions and conducting of surveys outside its facilities as long as these activities do not interfere with the conduct of business or impede the free access of the public to Library buildings and resources.
Specifically, individuals or organizations gathering petition signatures or conducting surveys may stand on Library property, as long as they maintain a distance of 25 feet from entrances and/or exits and do not block pedestrian traffic or interfere with customers seeking to use the Library, or otherwise disrupt Library patrons or activities. Provided, however, on an election day or when absentee voting is conducted at a Library, if electioneering is barred within 50 feet of the entrance to or exit from a Library serving as a polling place, individuals or organizations gathering petition signatures or conducting surveys may stand on Library property, as long as they maintain a distance of 50 feet from entrances to and exits from the Library.
Neither petitioners nor survey takers are guaranteed the use of an area protected from sun, heat, or inclement weather and may not set up tables, chairs, or other furniture. Signs promoting petitions or surveys may not be placed on doors or buildings and petitioners and survey takers must in no way affiliate themselves with the Library, either through written publicity, signage, or verbal statements.
The Library reserves the right to determine the location for signs posted on its properties. Petitioners and survey takers are required to register with the manager on duty at each location prior to gathering signatures or conducting surveys. There may not be more than 3 petitioners or survey-takers at any one entrance and/or exit at any time.
Petitioners and survey takers may not obstruct a customer, intimidate a customer into signing a petition or participating in a survey, or harass a customer after they inform the person gathering signatures or conducting the survey that they are not interested.
Petitioning and conducting surveys inside Library buildings is prohibited.
Electioneering, including the distribution of election literature and the posting of signs, is subject to the restrictions established by state law. On election day and during the absentee voting period, in the event the Board of Election Commissioners adopts and posts a policy pursuant to Sec. 115.637 RSMo. restricting electioneering activities within 50 feet of the entrance to and exit from polling places, exit polling, surveying, sampling, electioneering, distributing election literature, posting signs, petitioning, and placing vehicles bearing signs with respect to any candidate or question to be voted on at a current or future election are prohibited inside the building in which a polling place is located or within 50 feet of the building's outer door closest to the polling place, in accordance with the distance restriction established by the election authority pursuant to state law, provided that a candidate who is not seeking to vote shall be allowed to be up to twenty-five feet from the building's outer door closest to the polling place and may distribute election literature; and provided further that campaign signs shall be permitted to be placed up to twenty-five feet from the building's outer door closest to the polling place.
Petitioners and survey takers refusing to comply with this policy will be asked to leave Library property.
Adopted by the Board of Directors, September 21, 2026